Understanding Serialism Through Ice Hockey

According to Wikipedia, “serialism is a way of composing music using a series of notes in a particular order and using this to build up a whole piece of music. These series and patterns can also be applied to other parts of music (like how loud or soft it is).” In other words, serialism is the way the notes are arranged in a specific series for a piece of music to come together with the appropriate sequence of sounds and repetitions that compass the entire piece.

For those not familiar with music composition, this can be a difficult concept to grasp. It can be compared to the fundamentals of ice hockey for the sports fanatics wishing to understand the concept of serialism. In ice hockey, you must be able to skate before you can pick up your stick and start learning to pass the puck. The same can be said for serialism, you must first understand the notes before you can put them together into a composition.

After learning to skate, you learn how to shoot the puck. This can be a true work of art as you fine tune your basic steps into flawless artistry. But before you can be likened to Sidney Crosby or Wayne Gretzky, you have to learn the sequence of setting up a shot on goal. Step one set your feet, step two visualize your target, step three draw your stick back, step four follow through. The same applies to musical composition. Without a set series of notes to define a piece, the notes are all over the place and never come together into a piece of art; a beautiful song.

While ice hockey and composing music are on opposite sides of the spectrum, they can be used to show the importance of having a set sequence of events (or notes) that come together to create a stunning piece of work.